All That Matters
by Thecrazyrabidfangirl
Summary: Sometimes the happy ending isn't the one you desire... Tsumugi x Mio; one-sided Ritsu x Mio


**Summary: **Sometimes the happy ending isn't the one you desire…

**Genre(s): **Romance/Angst

**Character(s): **Tsumugi K., Ritsu T., Mio A., Yui H., Azusa N.

**Pairing(s): **Tsumugi x Mio; one-sided Ritsu x Mio

**Story Type: **One-shot

**Disclaimer: **I do not own K-ON!

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*** **_**All That Matters**_** ***

It was a late, golden afternoon at Sakuragaoka High School. The school had mostly emptied of students by this time except for one particular lone brunette girl, casually strolling down the hallway.

Ritsu Tainaka kicked at the floor as she slowly walked back towards the Light Music Clubroom to retrieve her forgotten school bag, her fingers casually laced together behind her head as she hummed a random drum beat.

_'Man, Mio has been spending a lot of time with Mugi lately,'_ Ritsu thought as she remembered how Mio had stayed behind with Tsumugi in the clubroom when she had left. _'I guess they're becoming closer friends, but...'_ she thought as she felt an ache of jealousy swell in her stomach.

_'Well, I'm sure Mio won't stop spending time with me, we're best friends after all!'_ she thought in an attempt to make her jealousy die down. Ritsu reached the base of the third floor staircase and began her ascent. As she climbed the stairs, she heard the distinct sound of two voices coming from the clubroom.

_'That sounds like Mio and Mugi,'_ Ritsu observed. When she reached the top of the staircase, however, the voices stopped. She found this odd, but pushed forward anyway to retrieve her bag.

"Hey guys-!" Ritsu called out cheerily as she walked through the door, though she came to a grinding halt when her eyes fell on the clubroom couch. Mio and Tsumugi were sitting side-by-side, their faces a scant few inches apart with heavy blushes set firmly on their cheeks.

"Wha-?" Ritsu eeked out before Mio and Tsumugi noticed her entry and jumped away from each other to the opposite ends of the couch.

"O-oh! H-hey, R-Ritsu!" Mio stuttered as her blush deepened.

"Hey..." Ritsu said slowly, her eyes wide as she tried to process what she had just witnessed, or rather what she thought she would have witnessed had she walked in a few moments later.

"We were just...uh..." Mio said as she struggled to form words. "...leaving!" she finally said as she hopped up from the couch and grabbed Tsumugi's hand, pulling the confused and blushing blonde past Ritsu and out of the room.

A good few minutes after Mio and Tsumugi left, Ritsu finally snapped out of her dazed state and retrieved her bag on auto-pilot, her mind a frazzled mess.

_'I-I'm sure it was nothing...'_ Ritsu told herself as she left the room with her bag, her hand trembling on the door's knob on the way out.

*** K-ON! ***

"Hey, guys!" Ritsu called out cheerily as she came through the clubroom door the next day. Yui stopped her invasion of Azusa's personal space long enough to enthusiastically wave back before continuing her assault, despite Azusa's protests.

"Would you like some tea, Ricchan?" Tsumugi offered gleefully as Ritsu threw her school bag messily onto the couch and grabbed a seat at the table. Ritsu eyed Tsumugi's suspiciously happy smile, the blonde always had a gentle, caring smile, but today it seemed to be hiding something.

"...Thanks, Mugi," Ritsu replied warily as Tsumugi poured a cup of tea up for her. As Ritsu sipped at her tea, she eyed Mio across the table, who had not said a single word or even looked at her so far.

_'I guess yesterday was nothing, if Mio isn't talking about it,'_ Ritsu assured herself as she dismissed her concerns. However, Mio glanced at Ritsu for a moment, catching the brunette's gaze, then quickly looked away again and blushed.

_'That was strange...'_ Ritsu observed as she slowly sipped at her tea.

"W-would you like some tea, M-Mio-chan?" Tsumugi asked as she offered the tea pot out.

"...Um...yes, please..." Mio replied awkwardly and Tsumugi shakily poured her a cup, though Mio did not pick it up. Ritsu quirked an eyebrow at this odd exchange, though Yui had taken no notice of it as she was too busy attempting to bypass Azusa's fortified personal space defenses.

_'I'm sure it's nothing...'_ Ritsu told herself again, though a small voice in the back of her mind disagreed with her. Tsumugi set the tea pot down and took the only available seat, which was next to Mio.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the table as Ritsu eyed the pair while continually sipping on her tea. Tsumugi and Mio looked everywhere around the room except directly at Ritsu or each other. Nobody said a word, except for Azusa's irate protests and Yui's cooing. Mio finally decided to drink her tea, and reached out for the cup, her hand shaking slightly, deliberately keeping her gaze off the brunette across from her as she did so. However, her distracted gaze caused her to bump her tea cup over, sending the contents spilling out over the table surface.

"I-I'll get it!" Tsumugi immediately said, almost out of reflex.

"N-no, I can get it," Mio replied, though Tsumugi did not hear her. Both girls reached out with napkins at the same moments, causing their shoulders to touch and their hands to bump into each other. Both girls froze as they looked over at each other, blushing intensely. They held each other's gaze until a loud annoyed cry sounded throughout the room.

"Yui-senpai! Enough!" Azusa cried then huffed as she crossed her hands over her chest, her face set in an upset scowl. Yui giggled the exchange off, but the damage had been done.

Tsumugi and Mio had broken their gaze and were now back to gazing around the room. Ritsu took in the entire series of events with calm calculation, draining the remnants of her cup as she made her mind up.

_'Something is definitely going on...' _

*** K-ON! ***

"Bye, everyone!" Yui called out as she and Azusa stood at the clubroom doors. Tsumugi, Ritsu, and Mio waved at them as they left ahead of everyone else, with Yui smiling and attached to the still annoyed black haired girl.

_'Good...this is all working out like I had hoped,'_ Ritsu thought as she mentally went over the plan she had hatched to figure out what was going on with her band mates. She waited a few minutes after Yui and Azusa's departure to initiate her plan.

"Well, I'm heading out too, see you two later," Ritsu bid her farewell as she hefted up her school bag and waved at the pair, receiving a quick and timid wave in return from each. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, she immediately snuck into the adjacent room and crouched down.

Ritsu waited for a few minutes, her ear pressed against the door, listening for the tiniest noises. However, she did not have to wait long; soon she could hear the soft murmur of two voices approaching from the clubroom.

"...Think she knows?" The soft voice of Tsumugi came floating through the door as Ritsu heard the clubroom door open and then close. There was a pause as Tsumugi and Mio stood on the third floor landing.

"S-she did seem to think _something_ was wrong," Mio replied, her worry clearly evident.

"Well, what's wrong if she does know?" Tsumugi asked, a hopeful tone to her voice.

"It's too soon, Ritsu has a habit of...not understanding," Mio replied as the worry cleared from her voice a little. Tsumugi giggled sweetly.

"You two are such close friends," she said, her voice light and happy.

"Yeah, but sometimes she can just get a bit jealous over me," Mio said as she giggled a little herself.

"I think she will understand though, we're all friends, after all," Tsumugi replied, her voice even more hopeful than before. Mio laughed lightly in reply.

"We should get going though, know where you want to go?" Mio asked as she shifted the topic. Ritsu could not see, but she got the distinct feeling that Tsumugi had simply nodded.

"Alright then, let's go," Mio said.

Ritsu then heard the pair walking down the stairs, and stayed hidden until their footsteps faded. She then came out of her hiding place and stood at the top of the landing.

_'It seems something really is going on...'_ Ritsu thought. However, her feelings were more preoccupied with Mio's words. Even then she felt a sense of deep envy welling up inside her.

_'It's true that I get jealous...I just don't want to lose her friendship...'_ Ritsu thought as she frowned. After a moment, Ritsu snapped out of her jealous daze, remembering that she had to tail the girls. Quickly, but quietly, Ritsu walked down the staircase and peaked around the corner, seeing Tsumugi and Mio down the hallway heading down the second flight of stairs.

_'Alright...here I go..._' Ritsu thought as she stealthily made her way down the hallway. She continued following the pair out of the school and down the sidewalk. The entire time, Ritsu stayed far enough away to keep them in sight but not be seen. She observed that Tsumugi and Mio were talking happily, and occasionally the pair laughed lightly together as they conversed. Ritsu's feeling of jealousy grew the longer she followed the girls.

_'Where are they going..?'_ Ritsu absently wondered as they turned the corner. Her mental question was answered as soon as she herself turned the corner and saw Tsumugi and Mio entering a cafe together.

_'This is one of Mugi's dad's cafes, isn't it?'_ Ritsu wondered as she stealthily made her way over to the restaurant. She watched as a waitress greeted the girls, seemingly being familiar with Tsumugi herself, and led the pair over to a window table. Ritsu followed their movements and ducked down, coming to a stop and crouching below the window that the girls were seated by.

Ritsu ignored the strange looks that she garnered from a passing couple, and instead devoted her attention to peaking just above the window sill.

_'Is this a...date?'_ Ritsu wondered curiously as Tsumugi and Mio noiselessly gave their orders, and then returned to talking happily. _'Mio sure is smiling a lot...'_ Ritsu thought with a scowl as she felt more jealousy welling up; she wanted Mio to spend all her time with her.

After awhile of simply watching the two girls converse, Ritsu became fed up with not being able to understand either of them.

_'I should sneak inside...'_ she decided as she stealthily made her way over to the entrance to the cafe and, when she was sure that neither Mio or Tsumugi were watching, entered. Ritsu, half-crouched over, quietly tried to make her way over to a table.

"Welcome! Can I help you, miss?"

Ritsu halted in her tracks as she heard a waitress behind her. She quickly turned on her heel and tried to look inconspicuous, looking even more suspicious in the process.

"Ah, yes, can I have a table close to them?" Ritsu asked as she laughed nervously and pointed towards Tsumugi and Mio. The waitress nodded as she brushed off Ritsu's suspicious behavior with cold professionalism. Once Ritsu was seated, the waitress handed her a menu.

"Um...Milk tea, please," Ritsu ordered on instinct. The waitress hurried off, allowing Ritsu a reprieve. Using the menu as a shield, Ritsu perked her ears up to catch any stray bits of conversation from the two young girls.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Mio-chan?" Tsumugi asked as she smiled sweetly at Mio.

"Of course, Mugi," Mio replied happily and freely. "But, you don't have to call me 'Mio-chan' anymore, please call me 'Mio'," Mio continued as she placed her hand on top of Tsumugi's on the table. Tsumugi blushed lightly and smiled happily.

"Alright, Mio," she replied, her voice trembling with joy. Ritsu's brow twitched as she listened to the pair gush over each other.

_'What's with those two?'_ she thought as jealousy burned in her stomach. 'She _should be spending her time with me..!'_ Ritsu mentally whined as her fingers tensed against the menu.

"Your milk tea, miss."

Ritsu nearly jumped out of her chair as the waitress interrupted her thoughts and placed the cup down on the table.

"T-thanks..." Ritsu replied as she fished some money out of her skirt pocket and paid for the drink. The waitress hurried off to more customers as Ritsu began to sip on her tea, scowling in the direction of Tsumugi and Mio.

The girls stayed at the cafe for another half an hour until the sun had nearly set. Ritsu tensed up as Tsumugi and Mio got up from their table and left the cafe.

_'Time to go...'_ Ritsu told herself as she waited a few minutes then left, going down the sidewalk in the direction the two girls had gone until she caught up with the pair. She observed that Tsumugi and Mio were now holding hands, their interlaced fingers swaying slightly in the gap between them. Ritsu felt jealousy twist inside her like a knife that had been in her gut the entire day.

_'They definitely have to be...but what if I'm just overreacting?'_ Ritsu thought as she sneakily followed the pair. _'They're going to...Mio's house?'_ Ritsu realized the familiarity of the path they were taking and soon her suspicions were confirmed when they, along with Ritsu, came out onto Mio's street.

Tsumugi and Mio walked up to the front door of the Akiyama household and stood there as Mio unlocked the door. Ritsu jumped into a nearby patch of bushes and watched the two girls.

"I had a good time, Mio," Tsumugi said as a light blush lit up her gentle features.

"Me too, how about we go somewhere tomorrow?" Mio replied with a soft smile. Tsumugi smiled brightly at Mio's suggestion.

"I'd love to!" she replied excitedly. The two girls fell into silence as Mio stood in the doorway. Then, without warning, Tsumugi leaned forward and planted her lips softly against the taller girl's. Mio only had time to look surprised before Tsumugi pulled back, a deeper blush on her face.

"Good night, Mio," Tsumugi said softly as she began to walk back down the pathway and to the sidewalk; she looked so happy that she was almost floating.

Mio touched her lips then smiled again before closing the door. Ritsu was frozen in her hiding spot, her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest. She grabbed at her chest as she felt like her heart was about to burst.

_'So they...really are...'_

*** K-ON! ***

The next day, Ritsu met up with the girls and acted as if she had not seen a thing. She put up a front of acting like her usual self, but deep down she was waiting for an opportunity to confront Mio.

"Hey! Mio!" Ritsu called out from down the hallway as she came running up to her.

"Oh, hey, Ritsu," Mio replied as she turned to the shorter girl.

"I need to talk to you," Ritsu said.

"Alright," Mio replied as Ritsu led her over to an empty classroom. Once inside, Ritsu stood in front of Mio but did not speak.

"What's up?" Mio asked curiously to break the silence. Ritsu shifted nervously as she gathered the courage she needed.

"Well...lately I've noticed how you and Mugi have been together a lot," Ritsu began. Mio started slightly as a worried look washed over her features. "At first, I just thought that you two were becoming better friends, I admit, I was a little jealous over that..." she continued. "But, then, I walked in on you two in the clubroom..."

"Ritsu, I can explain-" Mio began but Ritsu cut her off. "You don't need to explain, I followed you two yesterday and...I saw."

Mio gasped as she realized what Ritsu had seen.

"I just want to know...are you happy with her?" Ritsu asked softly, ignoring the stabbing pain in her stomach. Mio nodded slowly.

"Yes, I am," Mio replied.

"And...we're still best friends, right?" Ritsu asked as her voice trembled.

"Of course! Nothing could change that, idiot," Mio replied lightheartedly.

"Well, then I'm happy for you two!" Ritsu said as she grinned broadly, her voice light and happy.

"Really?" Mio asked in disbelief.

"Of course!" Ritsu replied as her grin remained plastered on her face. Mio smiled in return and the two walked towards the door. When they were in the doorway, Mio suddenly smacked Ritsu on the head.

"You know, you really had me worried!" Mio said haughtily as Ritsu nursed her injury.

"What did I dooo?" she whined pathetically. Mio giggled at Ritsu's normal antics then walked out into the hallway.

Ritsu, however, stayed in the doorway, her hands moving from her head injury and down to her stomach, rubbing at the familiar pain. Ritsu dismissed the feeling as she put her usual grin back on her face.

'_All that matters is that you're happy, Mio,'_ she thought as she ran after her best friend.

**END**

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**Author's Commentary:** I hope everybody liked the ending. I was kind of iffy about it because of the unique perspective and that there wasn't any kind of resolution for Ritsu's feelings. But nonetheless, I hope people enjoyed the story. All feedback is happily welcomed!


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